1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a program storage medium, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a program storage medium having a function for processing information relating to an information handling equipment.
2. Related Background Art
With the recent progress in networking, the information handling equipment such as copying machines, printers, personal computers etc. used in business environment are often connected by a network and the printing is frequently executed by a remote operation.
On the other hand, the function and status of such information handling equipment are different in each equipment, and are difficult to manage or maintain on collective basis. Particularly in the electrophotographic copying machine or printer, the replacement of the photosensitive drum, the repair, inspection, adjustment of the function etc. cannot be easily managed on collective basis, thus resulting in a loss in the service efficiency or in complication of expense billing.
Furthermore, a unified management has not been realized for the service providing for the information handling equipment used in the network environment and the billing for such service providing. For this reason, there has been required an enormous human resources for correlating the service and the billing therefor.
On the other hand, for the information handling equipment having the printing function, the maintenance service for maintaining such printing function is included in the management of the management, but the contract relating to such service has been prepared by personal works through documents, telephone conversation etc. For this reason, the office works required until the contract is made have involved a lot of human resources. The information handling equipment with printing function are diversified such as the monochromatic printing equipment, color printing equipment etc. and it has been difficult to provide diversified services suitable for such diversified equipment.
Also at the side of receiving the management service, it has been difficult to pay attention to each equipment in case various plural information handling equipment are managed for example in an office. As a result, for example in a maintenance contract, it has been difficult to achieve flexible management such as reaching a contract suitable for each kind of the equipment in consideration of the content of the service, the period and cost of the contract etc.